Sustainably Handmade Sandals And Slides: Meet Salt + Umber
‘Tis the season for sandals and slides!
When the climate you live in only has about 2 or 3 months fit for wearing summer apparel, that time of year when you can slip on a pair of shoes without socks again is a pretty joyous occasion.
This year (and for many more years to come, I’m sure!) I’ll be celebrating the warm weather with Salt + Umber‘s gorgeous Darium Beige Sandals and Black Lily Mules gifted to me from Made Trade, the online destination for ethically elevated goods.
A look behind Salt + Umber
One of the many innovative and beautiful conscious brands among Made Trade’s curation is Salt + Umber.
Salt + Umber’s shoes and accessories are thoughtfully handmade in small batches by artisans working in ethical SMETA-approved factories. SMETA, which stands for Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit, is an auditing process that covers multiple areas, including labor, health and safety, environment, and business ethics.
Through their ethical business model, Salt + Umber is committed to providing economic opportunities for women in India. To expand their impact, the conscious brand also has a micro-loan initiative for the rural Indian women artisans they work with.
On top of the fair labor standards Salt + Umber has in place, the brand also works to reduce their environmental impact. Their shoes are made with responsibly-made and recycled materials, such as scrap leather for the woven shoe uppers and vegetable-tanned leather for the insoles. And some of their shoes are even handmade with a near zero-waste design!
Plus, for their shoe sampling process, Salt + Umber uses computer-generated shoe models to avoid unnecessary waste. So cool, right?!
Here’s a closer look at the Salt + Umber shoes I tried out:
Lily Mules in Black
The Style: I’ve never owned a pair of mules, but I gotta say after wearing these beauties, I’m sold on mules for life. They’re comfy, easy-to-wear, but look super chic.
At first, I struggled to style the mules since I hadn’t ever worn a shoe like this before, but I ended up loving them with loose-fitting linen pants (which I borrowed from my mom!). I also like wearing the mules with crop-length fitted pants for a more casual look.
The Sizing: These mules run true to size and the recommendation is to size up if you’re between sizes. I usually wear a 7 ½ or 8 and the 8 in these mules fit perfectly.
The Ethics: These Salt + Umber Lily Mules were handmade by artisans in India and have a vegetable-tanned leather insole and a leather upper crafted from scrap leather pieces.
Darium Sandals in Beige
The Style: You’d be hard-pressed to find a more summer-y sandal than these beige Darium Sandals from Salt + Umber! I’m already dreaming up all the floral and bright outfits I can pair with these shoes.
The Sizing: Similar to the mules, these sandals run true to size. I usually wear a 7 ½ or 8, and the 8 in these fit well.
The Ethics: The Darium Sandals in beige were made with a vegetable-tanned leather insole and have a handwoven raffia upper. The sustainably-made sandals were handcrafted by artisans in India working in ethical factories.